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Illuminations
I really didn't know much about Hildegard, and being a Catholic, I was really curious about this Saint. I read it more as a novel as I am not sure of the accuracy, but major events check out and I found the novel to be fascinating. Hildegard is going to be made a doctor of the Church and so this was timely. She was very independent for her time and forward thinking. I enjoyed this book and loved learning about the times.

Tracy B. (New Castle, DE)

Illuminations
What a shocking story. Well written and hard to put down. I wasn't raised as a Catholic so this was all very new to me. I had heard of female mystics but didn't know what their life was like? True women have come a long way in history but being walled into a space of two rooms for your life because you are a mystic as a young girl with a child caregiver doesn't seem like the good life or spiritual. The lack of choices that presented themselves to women in this time especially the ones of wealth. There was no way to protect the daughters, it was off to the church or marriage with the life of bearing children. Men would have control and power of the family Just as the church controlled knowledge of the the written word, healing...

I must say that I felt like a fly on the wall encased in those two rooms. As the courtyard gathered plants it seemed to grow. Jutta seemed to shrink as Hildegard started to flourish. Who would have guessed that Hildegard would have the spirit to survive. Could this have happened without the friendship of Volmar?When Hildergard escapes the confinement of those 2 rooms, a walled in prison within a prison, taking her sisters with her, does she have the courage to attain some freedom? Her belief system and knowledge of the world was limited to the church. Her lack of political understanding & confusion opened and closed doors around her. She was not able to manage the power that came with the Abby. The friendships and visions she cast aside believing that no one understood or supported her in this her final endeavor, to build Rupertsberg. Hildegard was alone again cast out of the church and the real world that got in the way. She fought for women, truth and knowledge.

Mary G. (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Illuminations
What an interesting story of Hildegard Von Bingen. From a very young age she was taught always to obey and remain silent while other in authority decided her fate. But in living her humble existance she produced many remarkable accomplishments. She learned how to thrive in a myopic cell existance and put her mind to learning what beauty the world held. In her later years she became a powerful abbess and she learned how to exist in a man world. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Women's studies.

Therese X. (Calera, AL)

ILLUMINATIONS-- Had to keep turning the pages!
Hildegard von Bingen, known for her music and writing in medieval Germany was the youngest of ten children in a devout Christian family. Although her sisters were primed to marry, her future would be strongly different and vastly strange. A lively, playful child, she claimed to see visions from an early age. Her mother, fearing that her daughter may be influenced by the devil, pledged Hildegard to a monastery at age eight as a handmaiden to an "anchorite", a special nun who spent her life in fasting and prayer in a sealed room attached to a monastery. Jutta von Sponheim, disturbed daughter of a wealthy family and Hildegard entered their tiny cell and were "walled in", with only a grill facing into the church and a revolving hatch on which unseen monks would place their meager meals. With the last brick in place, the two women were sealed together for life, Jutta hopelessly ecstatic and Hildegard trembling in terror. Volmar, a kind young monk and scribe, brought them food and also books which Jutta initially taught Hildegard to read before launching herself into masochistic spirituality. After thirty years of praying, singing and self-mortification, Jutta died and Hildegard began to thrive. Hildegard's visions, however, returned and she began writing them down as illuminations from her "mother church, Ecclesia", angering the strict, patriarchal Church clerics, that a woman would dare write a book or draw attention to herself. Hoping to put Hildegard in her place, her work was sent to the papal authorities to be condemned. As grim as Hildegard's life appears, her story is truly engrossing, inspiring wonder and courage that Hildegard was able to overcome so much adversity and contribute such music, knowledge and a sense of power which inspired the young women of her time. Deftly written, this novel places the reader fully into Hildegard's life and time with fully rounded characters, the historical backdrop of the Crusades and the ongoing struggle of women to overcome the social roles expected of them.

Tilli F. (Florence, MA)

Illuminations
This is an engrossing book. Mary Sharrat's style brings the characters to life and the environment in which they lived. And Hildegard von Bingen is an amazing character. The plot has many cliffhanger turns which keep you reading. I knew nothing about her when I took this book, and now I am totally impressed. That she lived until 80, that she was walled up when she was eight, and that her visions had such power in her time - all of these were new to me. Her affair with Richardis (Caritas) is dealt with delicately so that isn't clear whether it was a homosexual relationship or merely a soul mate one. I would recommend it to book clubs especially those who are interested in historical fiction. The book does not talk enough about her music which is why I was attracted to her. But it does talk about the importance of music. It will not appeal to readers who are agnostic since it deals so exclusively with the life of religious people, and in the middle it seems as if the author has run out of superlatives and uses phrases like"the paradisial perfume" of roses. But it was an absorbing and vivid tale and I would highly recommend it

Terri O. (Chapel Hill, NC)

Illuminations
Mary Sharratt's Illuminations is a fascinating fictional account of the life of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th century mystic, writer, composer, and Benedictine abbess. The novel contains a wealth of historical detail, but its true strength lies in the complex characterization of Hildegard, who is portrayed as a deeply religious but flawed individual who overcame much in her life to become the only sanctioned female theologian of her time. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys excellent historical fiction; it would especially appeal to those with an interest in mysticism, early feminism, or early Church music. I highly recommend listening to some of Hildegard's musical compositions while reading the book (a list of recordings can be found in the afterword at the end of the novel). Illuminations would also be a great book club book.

Jill S. (Eagle, ID)

Illuminations
I'm a big fan of Mary Sharratt, and Illuminations is one of her best novels yet. Ms. Sharratt's novels are well researched and entertaining. Set in the 12th century we find Hildegard von Bingen tithed to the church. As we journey through Hildegard's life, Ms. Sharratt has done a wonderful job weaving historical fact; relationships (despite the difficult circumstances); and insight to the psychology of the characters. This book is a great read, and I recommend it to any historical fiction fan.

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